An eclectic mix, these are fascinating tales to enjoy. The scenes aren't obscured by today’s special effects, monsters and digital eyestrain. Take one or more along on your next journey, to watch while high in the sky or trying to sleep in a noisy hotel. Here they are, in order of release years:

Mutiny On The Bounty (1935) Get the original, not the mumbling Marlon Brando remake of 1962. Clark Gable does a somewhat better job trying to speak with a British accent as mutineer Fletcher Christian. He also portrays the character as an authentic naval officer, not Brando’s unconvincing, mincing upper-class snob.

Charles Laughton as the cruel Captain Bligh gives a classic performance that can never be matched. Although both Laughton and Gable were nominated for Academy Awards, the only Oscar was for best picture. www.winthrop.dk/bounty/trivia

Lost Horizons (1937) Get the original, not the awful 1973 musical version. The movie was adapted from the book by James Hilton, and starred Ronald Coleman as Robert Conway. A hijacked plane crashes in the snowy Himalayas, and the passengers face death in the freezing mountains. They’re rescued and travel through the blizzard to a magic rocky passage into a beautiful land of sunshine and peace, Shangri-La.

The name Shangri-La is still used today to describe a perfect paradise. The enjoyable movie plot questions whether the travelers should choose to remain in the wonderland or return to the stark realities of former lives. www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lost_horizon

Roman Holiday (1953) Princess Anne (Audrey Hepburn) sneaks away from royal duties while visiting the Italian capital city. Groggy from sleeping pills, she spends the night in the apartment of American newsman Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck).

Joe finds out who she is, but keeps it secret so he can get a scoop and photos while they tour Rome together. They fall in love, but her royal responsibilities prevent them from consumating it.

At a news conference, in a final kindhearted gesture, he tears up the revealing photos. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Audrey Hepburn. www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/96156/roman-holiday    

Easy Rider (1969) This travel movie defined the protest generation of the 1960s. It was written and directed by the movie’s stars, Peter Fonda (Wyatt) and Dennis Hopper (Billy), along with author Terry Southern. It also starred Jack Nicholson (George).

Two hippies smuggle cocaine from Mexico to Los Angeles. With money from selling it, they start to ride their motorcycles, along with George, toward New Orleans to attend the Mardi Gras. Their cross-country adventure ends tragically in fatal encounters with Southern rednecks.
movies.nytimes.com/movie/15197/Easy-Rider/overview

Thelma And Louise (1991) This travel epic also ends with the violent death of the leading characters. A dark comedy, two women, Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise, take a cross-country journey. They’re trying to escape past troubles in a Thunderbird convertible.

A chance encounter at a Western bar with an abusive drunk results in Louise killing him. They escape, and commit another murder when a trucker makes obscene gestures at them.

Continuing on from Texas to Arizona, the fugitive women are trapped at the Grand Canyon rim. Rather than face life in prison, they drive over the edge. www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/08/thelma-louise-the-last-great-film-about-women